Cloud Storage
Object storage for companies of all sizes
Cloud Storage is a managed service for storing unstructured data. Store any amount of data and retrieve it as often as you like.
New customers get $300 in free credits to try Cloud Storage and other Google Cloud products.
Looking for something else? Check out personal, team, and block storage options.
Features
Leading analytics and ML/AI tools
Once your data is stored in Cloud Storage, easily plug into Google Cloud’s powerful tools to create your data warehouse with BigQuery, run open source analytics with Dataproc, or build and deploy machine learning (ML) models with Vertex AI.
Automatic storage class transitions
With features like Object Lifecycle Management (OLM) and Autoclass you can easily optimize costs with object placement across storage classes. You can enable, at the bucket level, policy-based automatic object movement to colder storage classes based on the last access time. There are no early deletion or retrieval fees, nor class transition charges for object access in colder storage classes.
Continental-scale and SLA-backed replication
Industry leading dual-region buckets support an expansive number of regions. A single, continental-scale bucket offers nine regions across three continents, providing a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of zero. In the event of an outage, applications seamlessly access the data in the alternate region. There is no failover and failback process. For organizations requiring ultra availability, turbo replication with dual-region buckets offers a 15 minute Recovery Point Objective (RPO) SLA.
Use Cloud Storage as a local filesystem
Cloud Storage is a common choice for storing training data, models, and checkpoints for machine learning projects in Cloud Storage buckets. With Cloud Storage FUSE, you can take advantage of the scale, affordability, throughput, and simplicity that Cloud Storage provides, while maintaining compatibility with applications that use or require filesystem semantics. Cloud Storage FUSE also now offers caching, which provides up to 2.2x faster time to train and 2.9x higher training throughput, compared to native ML framework dataloaders.
Manage your object storage with file inventory reports
Inventory reports contain metadata information about your objects, such as the object's storage class, ETag, and content type. This information helps you analyze your storage costs, audit and validate your objects, and ensure data security and compliance. You can export inventory reports as comma-separated value (CSV) or Apache Parquet files so you can further analyze it using tools, such as BigQuery. Learn more about Storage Insights inventory reports.
Fast and flexible transfer services
Storage Transfer Service offers a highly performant, online pathway to Cloud Storage—both with the scalability and speed you need to simplify the data transfer process. For offline data transfer our Transfer Appliance is a shippable storage server that sits in your datacenter and then ships to an ingest location where the data is uploaded to Cloud Storage.
Default and configurable data security
Cloud Storage offers secure-by-design features to protect your data and advanced controls and capabilities to keep your data private and secure against leaks or compromises. Security features include access control policies, data encryption, retention policies, retention policy locks, and signed URLs.
Object lifecycle management
Define conditions that trigger data deletion or transition to a cheaper storage class.
Object Versioning
Continue to store old copies of objects when they are deleted or overwritten.
Soft delete
Soft delete offers improved protection against accidental and malicious data deletion by providing you with a way to retain and restore recently deleted data.
Retention policies
Define minimum retention periods that objects must be stored for before they’re deletable.
Object holds
Place a hold on an object to prevent its deletion.
Customer-managed encryption keys
Encrypt object data with encryption keys stored by the Cloud Key Management Service and managed by you.
Customer-supplied encryption keys
Encrypt object data with encryption keys created and managed by you.
Uniform bucket-level access
Uniformly control access to your Cloud Storage resources by disabling object ACLs.
Requester pays
Require accessors of your data to include a project ID to bill for network charges, operation charges, and retrieval fees.
Bucket Lock
Bucket Lock allows you to configure a data retention policy for a Cloud Storage bucket that governs how long objects in the bucket must be retained.
Pub/Sub notifications for Cloud Storage
Send notifications to Pub/Sub when objects are created, updated, or deleted.
Cloud Audit Logs with Cloud Storage
Maintain admin activity logs and data access logs for your Cloud Storage resources.
Object- and bucket-level permissions
Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM) allows you to control who has access to your buckets and objects.
Storage options
| Storage type | Description | Best for |
|---|---|---|
Storage for data that is frequently accessed ("hot" data) and/or stored for only brief periods of time. | "Hot" data, including websites, streaming videos, and mobile apps. | |
Low cost, highly durable storage service for storing infrequently accessed data. | Data that can be stored for 30 days. | |
A very low cost, highly durable storage service for storing infrequently accessed data. | Data that can be stored for 90 days. | |
The lowest cost, highly durable storage service for data archiving, online backup, and disaster recovery. | Data that can be stored for 365 days. |
Learn more about storage classes.
Storage for data that is frequently accessed ("hot" data) and/or stored for only brief periods of time.
"Hot" data, including websites, streaming videos, and mobile apps.
Low cost, highly durable storage service for storing infrequently accessed data.
Data that can be stored for 30 days.
A very low cost, highly durable storage service for storing infrequently accessed data.
Data that can be stored for 90 days.
The lowest cost, highly durable storage service for data archiving, online backup, and disaster recovery.
Data that can be stored for 365 days.
Learn more about storage classes.
How It Works
To use Cloud Storage, you’ll first create a bucket, a basic container that holds your data in Cloud Storage. You’ll then upload objects into that bucket—where you can download, share, and manage objects.
To use Cloud Storage, you’ll first create a bucket, a basic container that holds your data in Cloud Storage. You’ll then upload objects into that bucket—where you can download, share, and manage objects.
Common Uses
Backups and archives
Use Cloud Storage for backup, archives, and recovery
Use Cloud Storage for backup, archives, and recovery
Cloud Storage's nearline storage provides fast, low-cost, highly durable storage for data accessed less than once a month, reducing the cost of backups and archives while still retaining immediate access. Backup data in Cloud Storage can be used for more than just recovery because all storage classes have ms latency and are accessed through a single API.
Tutorials, quickstarts, & labs
Use Cloud Storage for backup, archives, and recovery
Use Cloud Storage for backup, archives, and recovery
Cloud Storage's nearline storage provides fast, low-cost, highly durable storage for data accessed less than once a month, reducing the cost of backups and archives while still retaining immediate access. Backup data in Cloud Storage can be used for more than just recovery because all storage classes have ms latency and are accessed through a single API.
Media content storage and delivery
Store data to stream audio or video
Store data to stream audio or video
Stream audio or video directly to apps or websites with Cloud Storage’s geo-redundant capabilities. Geo-redundant storage with the highest level of availability and performance is ideal for low-latency, high-QPS content serving to users distributed across geographic regions.
Unlock infinite capacity and innovation
Tutorials, quickstarts, & labs
Store data to stream audio or video
Store data to stream audio or video
Stream audio or video directly to apps or websites with Cloud Storage’s geo-redundant capabilities. Geo-redundant storage with the highest level of availability and performance is ideal for low-latency, high-QPS content serving to users distributed across geographic regions.
Learning resources
Unlock infinite capacity and innovation
Data lakes and big data analytics
Create a data lake for analytics
Create a data lake for analytics
Develop and deploy data pipelines and storage to analyze large amounts of data. Cloud Storage offers high availability and performance while being strongly consistent, giving you confidence and accuracy in analytics workloads.
Tutorials, quickstarts, & labs
Create a data lake for analytics
Create a data lake for analytics
Develop and deploy data pipelines and storage to analyze large amounts of data. Cloud Storage offers high availability and performance while being strongly consistent, giving you confidence and accuracy in analytics workloads.
Machine learning and AI
Deploy an AI summarization solution in the Google Cloud console
Deploy an AI summarization solution in the Google Cloud console
Launch a Google-recommended, preconfigured solution that uses generative AI to quickly extract text and summarize large documents stored in Cloud Storage.
Tutorials, quickstarts, & labs
Deploy an AI summarization solution in the Google Cloud console
Deploy an AI summarization solution in the Google Cloud console
Launch a Google-recommended, preconfigured solution that uses generative AI to quickly extract text and summarize large documents stored in Cloud Storage.
Host a website
Build, host, and run dynamic websites in the Google Cloud console
Build, host, and run dynamic websites in the Google Cloud console
Launch a sample drop-ship retail product website that’s publicly accessible and customizable, leveraging Python and JavaScript.
Tutorials, quickstarts, & labs
Build, host, and run dynamic websites in the Google Cloud console
Build, host, and run dynamic websites in the Google Cloud console
Launch a sample drop-ship retail product website that’s publicly accessible and customizable, leveraging Python and JavaScript.
Pricing
| How Cloud Storage pricing works | Pricing for Cloud Storage services is primarily based on location and storage class. Additional usage-based data processing and data transfer charges may also apply. | |
|---|---|---|
| Service usage and type | Description | Price (USD) |
Always Free usage | All customers get 5 GiB of US regional storage free per month, not charged against your credits. Learn more about Always Free limits. | Free |
Storage class | Standard storage Best for frequently accessed ("hot" data) and/or stored for only brief periods of time. | Starting at $.02 per GiB per month |
Nearline storage Best for service for storing infrequently accessed data. | Starting at $.01 per GiB per month | |
Coldline storage Best for storing infrequently accessed data. | Starting at $.004 per GiB per month | |
Archive storage Best for data archiving, online backup, and disaster recovery. | Starting at $.0012 per GiB per month | |
Data transfer and special network service rates | Data transfer within Google Cloud Applies when moving, copying, accessing data in Cloud Storage or between Google Cloud services. | Check your network product for pricing information. |
General network usage | General network usage applies for any data that does not fall into one of the above categories or the Always Free usage limits. | Ranges from $0.12-$0.20 based on monthly usage |
Learn more about Cloud Storage pricing. View all pricing details.
How Cloud Storage pricing works
Pricing for Cloud Storage services is primarily based on location and storage class. Additional usage-based data processing and data transfer charges may also apply.
Always Free usage
All customers get 5 GiB of US regional storage free per month, not charged against your credits. Learn more about Always Free limits.
Free
Storage class
Standard storage
Best for frequently accessed ("hot" data) and/or stored for only brief periods of time.
Starting at
$.02
per GiB per month
Nearline storage
Best for service for storing infrequently accessed data.
Starting at
$.01
per GiB per month
Coldline storage
Best for storing infrequently accessed data.
Starting at
$.004
per GiB per month
Archive storage
Best for data archiving, online backup, and disaster recovery.
Starting at
$.0012
per GiB per month
Data transfer and special network service rates
Data transfer within Google Cloud
Applies when moving, copying, accessing data in Cloud Storage or between Google Cloud services.
Check your network product for pricing information.
General network usage
General network usage applies for any data that does not fall into one of the above categories or the Always Free usage limits.
Ranges from
$0.12-$0.20
based on monthly usage
Learn more about Cloud Storage pricing. View all pricing details.
Pricing calculator
Custom quote
Start your proof of concept
New customers get $300 in free credits to try Cloud Storage and other Google Cloud products
Have a large project?
Learn how to get started with Cloud Storage
Introduction and best practices for Cloud Storage
How to name buckets
Business Case
Explore how companies are using Cloud Storage
Vimeo is delivering more high-quality videos than ever while reducing costs.
Vimeo replaced its servers for accepting video uploads with Cloud Storage, fronted by the Fastly edge cloud to help ensure regional routing and low-latency, high-throughput connections for Vimeo’s publishers. Multi-regional Cloud Storage offers fast, resumable upload capability that helps make for better user experience.
Read customer storyRelated content
Mixpanel maintains excellent performance and reliability while keeping its engineers focused on innovation
Robust building blocks that exist on top of core data storage, computing, and network services help take away much of the backend hassle on the way to new product creation
RedSalud meets telemedicine challenges by implementing SAP for Google Cloud
FAQ
Does Cloud Storage work for personal photos, videos, and files?
No. For personal storage options, including photos, device backup, VPN, and more, visit Google One.
How does Cloud Storage differ from other types of storage?
Cloud Storage is a service for storing objects in Google Cloud. An object is an immutable piece of data consisting of a file of any format. You store objects in containers called buckets. All buckets are associated with a project, and you can group your projects under an organization. Learn more about other Google Cloud storage products, including block storage, data transfer, and file storage.